Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-04-28
THE ROUNDS CASE,
Lively Hearing Before the Governo,
and Council.
Will the Board Confirm His Exo.,,
Nomination

, P"i'ies interested In the con
hrmation of Mr.. c. B Rounds as Jua,o =,
me Municipal Court at Calais.
The opposition were not REPRESENTED /.
counsel, the gentlemen managing tho o.s,
themselves. Orville d. Baker, ESQ an.
peared for Mr. Rounds.
AT the opening of the hearing Gove-no,
bodwell made brief statement to the Cannot,
In speaking of the nomination he said :,
perpiexlng question for him TO decide ue
nad long petitions and many letters for ho,b
tue candidates. After hearing botb side.
although the evidence was necessarily nc az
e1 pare Character, aod as Judge Rounds had
heia the ONCE but one term he could ace M
good reason why there should no, ha 70
hominatInn There were charges against him
TO which gave as careful N inyestioation a.
possiofe. There was no question other than
Tue seiectlon or good man. Where wa ind
Two factions, as in this case it ia alm,st
Impossible to give satisfaction to all and afrer
gong over the charges carefully I concluded
tilat they were unfounded Not To nominate
mr. Rounds would be equivalent to saving
that he was unworthy of the confidence of
the community The Governor did NOT want
tue council to be swerved 10 any degree nv
the fact that he had made the nomination.
III you, Councillors, decide that have taken
wrong view of the case rest assured tbst
tnere Will be no feeling on my part, and I
trust you Will come to just decision in the
matter.
Geo. A. Curran, Esq, who conducted the
case LOT the opposition made his opening re-
','arks. Inns was not personal quarrel, but
the remonstrants here were actinr thrnuph
the authority Of the City Council of Cslai.
Neither was this temperance issue, for he
did not believe there was man on hi. not
ton who was not squarely for the enforce
ment OF the pEohihitory law Neither was
Mr.. Rounds the candidate of the Law and
Order Leagne, as not one third the members
OF the league had signed his petition Ii twas
a slgnlncant tact that after being in office 40
long Mr.. Rounds had not ingratated himself
INTO the good graces of the people Of Calais.
We hold that not one eighth of the total tax
atlon OF the city is in favor of Mr..
Rounds, as represented in his petition.
VI the nine lawyers in The city OF Calais on
ly one of them is on record as 10 favor of
Mr.. Rounds. OF the business men of the
city, very large prepondarance are opposed
to the confirmation of Mr. Rounds SO that
feel myself warranted, on examining the
two petitions, in saying to this Board
that he IS rot supported by the
Law and Order League, the lawyers, the bns-
iness men or Good rempars. man of his
position would not be Oppose d SO strenuous
ly unless there were some serious asons
why they should not support him Here Mr..
Curran presented some of tho charges against
Mr. Rounds He charged that in December.
% tnIs
school committee refused to furnish vouchers
for moLies paid out and after the ma, or called
on him and unsucce sstully demanded the
vouchers that the Guy Council was obliged
TO take the matter out Of Mr.. Rounds hands
and appoint separate board Of three persons.
He presented the following affidavit from ex-
Mayor Mprchi'
l. John &. MurcIie. On oath declare that I was
Mayor OF Calais III issi and in accordance with Il
vote of the City Gourcil passed Dec ~, 1884,
called on Judge Rounds who then had charge of the
expenditures of the city school fund.- amounting to
several thousand dollars per year W INSTRUCT ed
to demand of Judge Rounds vouchers showing his
expenditures of the school o0ey, and also all doc
uments in his hands relating thereto, and did so.
Judge Rounds made some talk which / cannot now
state exactly but the result OF demand under the
city orders was that got some insurance policies
and memoranda of contracts for wood but got no
vouchers. reported to the City Cour Gil who there
upon elected school agents and took away from
Judge Rounds the control of said sch )ol funds.
Subscribed and sworn to,
JOHN G. MURcHlE
Mr. Curran cited chap. 1856 sec of the
revised statutes as follows:
Every tial justice judge of municipal or police
court, shall render under oath, an account of all
before him, and pay them over within six months
after he receives the same to the treasurer of the
county If they accrue to the state and county. and to
the IF he town If Il ey accrue to the town
a. 49, Il b;,b
he had been judge Mr. Rounds had not paid a
cent of fines into the treasury of the city,
although it was his place to do it, until with
in month When the Mayor, by order of the
Civ Governme Mt demanded it of him. This
alone was enough to dsquaify him for this
off sc.
The speaker cited further from the same
section
Every Judge of municipal or police court, shall
once in each month make and return under osth to
the Mayor and Aldermen of his city the municipal
officers of his town correct account OF all examina
tions and trials OF tried before him OF persons
accused of offences, and OF all fines and fOrfetures
by him imposed or received, upon conviction or SEN
tence and of all fees and costs by him received.
The speaker claimed that the judge had
neglected to comply with this law and that
durina the four years winch he had held Of
fee he h .d made returns but orca and then
only after the city council had demanded
them.
1t was further stated that Judge Downs mad
not kept correct docket.
Mayor McKusick stated that before the
old board went out he called on Judge Rounds
TO obtain certain fines and told him he had
hotter nav over. He afterwards paid in $40.
He came TO Augusta under instructions from
the city government of Calais, to do all In
his power to stop the confirmation of Rounds.
There was large proportion OF the tax pay
era both large and small who were in earnest
in this matter ard they did not teel that the
iudpe had conducted his court as he ought to.
Mr. McKusjck did not feel it was the duty OF
the CITY government to be passing orders year
after wear obliging Judge Rounds to DO MS
6ntv. Hon. l.. G. Downs testified IN the
case against Chas L. Taylor, compliant
for running a gift enterprise. The Judge un
lawfully allowed the withdrawal of the com
p,aint The record on the new docket shows
the complaint Withdrawn on payment OF 81
and costs. The affidavit of Ii &. Grant SUB
mitted Shove that he paid S4S for Mr. ray
Ior TO settle the case, Oct 26, 1886, out IL
was not returned to the CITY council until
March. 1887.
The nine fish cases, so called, were Drought
forword bv Mr.. Downs. He SAID there was
netting on Judge Rounds books to show
what disposition had been made OF ehe cases
Hinder authority OF the judge Recorder NC,
Gairple went out of the city nifty mile' anu
held G ,urt at Grand Lake Stream, when ne